


Homecoming

by MEGrymz, Speakeasyys



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Gen, He used to have two brothers and he has two sisters... the brothers are mentioned, Hurt/Comfort, Hux family headcanons, Hux's mother is named Anastasia, M/M, in which Brendol is a bad dad and his mom is actually a sweet lady
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:57:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8743564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MEGrymz/pseuds/MEGrymz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Speakeasyys/pseuds/Speakeasyys
Summary: "Of course you would pick Snoke's little brat. You always did have the strangest taste in..." Brendol made a face and gestured vaguely at the air in front of him, seemingly unable to find a suitable term. "You know."---Hux is tricked by his father into coming home to Arkanis, and drags his lover, Kylo Ren, along for emotional support.The Hux family has a bit of a crisis when it is revealed to Hux by his parents that he is an illegitimate child.





	

Hux swallowed hard, reading and rereading the message in front of him.

_Come back to Arkanis?_

The thought made him feel a little ill-- he hadn't been home since he was a boy at the imperial academy. That had to be more than two decades ago.

His gaze turned towards his datapad, and he swiped his fingers across it a few times to send an alert to Kylo that something required his attention. Hux picked up the document on his desk, eyeing the signature of one _Commandant Brendol Hux._

* * *

Kylo’s datapad chimed, and he opened one eye to glance at it from where he had been meditating. He hardly ever received messages, and then usually only from Hux or Phasma.

Sighing, he called the datapad over with the Force. A message from Hux, with no details other than something required his attention. Meditation at this point was useless; he sent a quick reply stating that he was on his way, before getting up and leaving his quarters, heading towards Hux's office.

* * *

Hux waited impatiently in his office, shifting in his chair, crossing and uncrossing his legs, all manner of ways he could try to keep himself busy while he waited. As soon as he heard footsteps down the hallway, he got up and went to the door-- sure enough, it was Kylo. "Get in here," he hissed.

Kylo stepped in quickly, shutting the door behind him. Hux seemed nervous, obviously something was bothering him. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Hux so rarely let himself get riled up like this, it was unnerving.

"Read this." Hux held the document out, lips pursed into a thin line. He didn't want to explain it himself, no way. "It's from my father."

He took the digital document, eyeing Hux curiously. He scanned it quickly, looking for the source of whatever had made Hux upset.  

"...Your father wants you to return to Arkanis? Why?"

"He wants to establish an academy for the first order, like the fallen imperial academies." He fidgeted nervously. "I have to go see him and discuss it."

"You can't communicate through holo-transmission? Isn't that what most people do?" Kylo did not know much about the other's relationship with the commandant, but it did not seem like a normal parent-child relationship at all, not with the nerves Hux was displaying.

"It's an excuse," Hux murmured. "I haven't seen him since I was eighteen years old, after graduation. It's been sixteen years."

"...He is using this as an excuse to see you again? Why does he not just ask?" This whole thing confused him. In fact, Hux's family life tended to be confusing. Or unsettling. Usually an uncomfortable mix of the two.

"Dealing with my family is like dealing with fine china, Kylo," he sighed. "Pretty, but you'll cut yourself if you don't handle it very carefully." He let out a sigh and folded the document in half a few times, then tucked it into his pocket. "...That isn't the point. The point is that I'd like for you to join me."

Kylo stared at Hux in surprise. "I- well, of course I will, if that is what you wish." He paused awkwardly for a moment. "...When will we be leaving?"

"I was hoping today or tomorrow, but the specifics are flexible." Hux looked towards his desk. "I have to get back to my father, tell him I'm accepting his request."

He nodded. "Snoke has been talking about sending me on another mission soon, he wants me to find an old Sith temple."

"I'll accompany you on that one as collateral for this, if you like." Hux stepped over to his desk and pursed his lips again, knowing he would have to start up a holo transmission as soon as possible. The commandant was not a patient man.

"I... I would like that very much. Thank you." He could sense the anxiety rolling off of Hux in waves.  "Would you like me to notify Phasma of our departure?"

"That would be nice. Why don't you go do that in person? I have... a call to make." Hux stood a little taller, mentally preparing himself.

Kylo nodded, and left the room. Time to search for Phasma.

He found her in a training room, overseeing a squadron of troopers. "Phasma, a word, if you have a moment."

The captain looked over her shoulder-- Ah. Him. Of course. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting me, Lord Ren." She waved a hand, dismissing her troopers.

He waited until the stormtroopers had left before speaking again. "General Hux has received a letter from the commandant, he wishes for him to return to Arkanis."

"I'm aware." She stared him down. "I've known since it arrived three days ago. Did he finally tell you? If you don't have news for me, I have work to do." Her tone remained fairly steady, though it gained a bit of a sour edge.

Kylo scowled at her from behind his mask. "Hux and I will be leaving for Arkanis, either today or tomorrow.  Is that newsworthy enough for you?"

"That is, yes. I suppose our general finds some emotional comfort in your presence." Phasma holstered her rifle. "I do hope you're treating him well. I have my eyes on you both."

"You do not need to try to intimidate me, Captain. I have no intention of hurting the general." Even though he said otherwise, he couldn't help but be intimidated by her stare. He loathed to find out what she would do to him should she decide he had hurt Hux in any way.

"I don't have to _try,_ Ren, I know that I already do." Phasma was confident in her power, and unafraid to show it. There was a reason her troops never faltered under her command. She thought about taking off her helmet, showing exactly how serious she was about this, but decided against it. "I'll be paying the general a visit before you leave."

* * *

Hux pursed his lips as he gazed out of the open shuttle door, unwilling to step into the rain. It smelled just like he remembered-- the plants here made that rainy smell seem a bit different.

"...Welcome to Arkanis." He looked up at the sky. It was humid and cold at the same time, which was a peculiar mix on a planet like Earth, but quite common here. Hux looked back at Kylo over his shoulder, then away again. "The roadways are protected from most of the rain."

Kylo stared out into the rain. He had only been here a few times, in passing, and had never stayed long enough to see anything of significance. "This is where you grew up?"

"This would be the district, yes. Come with me." Hux stepped out onto the ground, letting out a breath when the heavy rainfall started to soak him. He wasn't fond of rain anymore, but this was a strange and unexpected comfort. After a moment of silence, he regained his focus and started for the covered sidewalks that lined the city, then stepped under the glass overhang. "It's not a long walk from here, but the city dips down soon, so we'll need to use one of the boats."

"...The boats?" Kylo shivered as they stepped underneath the covered sidewalk. The temperature fluctuations were hell to deal with after the climate controlled environment of the Finalizer. He followed Hux closely, not wanting to lose him.

"Yes, boats. Small ones. Arkanis rains nearly every day, and even with extensive sewage and draining systems, even the largest cities flood entirely for at least a few days a week. The canals are always full, though. The water is used for transportation and power." Hux looked up at the glass above their heads keeping the rain from getting them any wetter, and preventing the boats from flooding. "There's a station up here, do you have any... No, nevermind. I have currency." He was always prepared.

After a bit of fussing around, Hux stood in a long, shallow boat with a large paddle in his hands. "Get in. You can sit if you like, though that's usually reserved for children..." He chuckled under his breath. "We used to live in the biggest city on the planet, located in the eastern hemisphere, but after the Empire collapsed and things settled down, they moved out here. It's quiet, but just big enough to have things like boat stations and glass headers."

Hux realized that he was rambling and paused for a long moment. "...This isn't how I imagined you meeting my parents. It was a lot more... I don't know. Flowery, I suppose, in my head. Something pleasant."

"I never actually expected to meet your parents. I'm honestly kind of nervous." He carefully stepped into the boat after Hux, arms held out for balance. Kylo rarely dealt with anyone outside of the crew of the Finalizer and his knights. Anyone else was unimportant. He was not used to caring about what other people thought of him, because it didn't matter what they thought of you when you had the Force, a few mind tricks could get you anywhere you wanted.

Hux watched the street addresses change one by one, feeling an increasing discomfort in his gut. It got worse and worse, until finally, he docked the little boat and stepped out, standing in front of the house. "...There it is."

He swallowed hard, but his nervousness was completely hidden on his face and in his body language. As far as his appearance went, he was perfectly calm. "Come on." Hux stepped forward, stopped at the door, and gave two knocks. No more, no less. There was a pause, and the door opened to reveal perhaps the only person in the galaxy scarier than General Hux.

"Brendol."

"Armitage."

Hux and his father stared each other down for several long moments, trying to overwhelm the other through willpower alone, but the silence soon broke. "You brought your friend," Brendol continued, voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "I wasn't planning on entertaining guests."

"My _partner_ , yes." Hux experienced no small amount of pleasure watching his father's expression twist in unmasked disgust-- part of him wanted to sneer in Brendol's face, but he knew that would earn him a slap.

"Perfect. Your mother will be thrilled, I'm sure."

"Hm."

Kylo immediately hated Brendol Hux. Kylo hadn't even _done_ anything, and clearly the commandant already had formulated an opinion of him.  Usually, Kylo had to speak to make people hate him-- he had to admit, he was mildly impressed.

Wait a second. Backtrack. _Armitage_ Hux? That was new. He had never heard Hux's first name.  He had occasionally thought about it, but it was always in passing.

"Come inside," Hux murmured, reaching back to take Kylo's hand, and stepped inside past his father. The first thing he saw on the wall was a framed picture of his dead brothers, whom he’d fought against at the academy-- it felt like a slap in the face. He ignored it, and spoke to his father without looking at him. "Why don't you get your guests a drink?"

"You can do that."

"Yes sir." Hux answered automatically, slinking away to do as he was told.

Brendol sat back in his armchair and lit a pipe, waiting a moment before he gestured for this strange dark man Armitage had brought to sit. "Take a seat. We're going to talk."

 _Talk?_ About what? Kylo hesitantly sat down across from Brendol, eyeing him uncomfortably. He said nothing, choosing to remain silent. His mind was in turmoil. Anything he said would no doubt be met with derision, and he could sense disgust rolling off of Brendol in waves.

"I know what my son is like. I know he seems to be very... _comfortable_ with you." He chose his words carefully. "And I do hope you know that I expect an heir from him."

Brendol blew a cloud of smoke into the other's face and looked him over.

"And I do hope you know that, being from the highest noble classes of Arkanis, it would be very easy for me to find Armitage a suitable wife." He nursed the idea for a moment, very calmly, but the suggestion was obviously a threat. Hux was silent from the other room-- perhaps he couldn't hear, but perhaps the silence was in horror or fear of speaking up. "He's too weak to tell me no. You know that. He knows that.” Another moment of threatening silence. “He won't be taken seriously here among the rest of the nobility. A laughingstock can't become an emperor, and you know he would do _anything_ for that dream."

Brendol crossed his legs and drew on his pipe again. "Well. That's just food for thought."

Kylo briefly entertained the idea of murdering the commandant-- perhaps then his stare would stop boring into him, picking him apart.  How Hux had survived in this environment for so long was baffling-- it certainly explained much about him, and why he is the way he is.

He looked the commandant dead in the eye when he finally spoke. "When Hux is emperor, will the nobility of Arkanis matter all that much? He already has thousands at his beck and call, what difference does a few old ex-imperials make?"

"He'll never get to be emperor with a man like you following him around. He needs the support of Arkanis, the support of his _foundation_ , or he'll crumble before he can climb any higher." He scoffed. "I've seen men _double_ his worth fall."

Hux stepped back into the room and set a glass of wine in front of his father-- himself and Kylo were allowed water and little else. The nice drinks were for Brendol and his wife.

He sat down, making direct eye contact with his father as he took Kylo's hand and laced their fingers. Father and son exchanged icy expressions before Hux finally spoke. "What have you two been discussing?"

"Your wife to be."

Hux's jaw clenched. "An interesting conversation topic. Perhaps you'd like to elaborate on it later, but I'd like to discuss what you invited me here for."

"Before your mother returns home? Nonsense. Why don't you tell me about... _him."_ Brendol gestured towards Kylo.

Kylo stiffened as Brendol gestured at him and tightened his hold on Hux, as if he would disappear. The look the commandant gave him was so distasteful, he wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Ben Solo had felt this way, when his mother or Han scolded him-- it made him feel sick.

"This is Kylo." Hux answered smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them to be in love. Which it _was._ "I'm sure you're familiar."

Brendol scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. _"Kylo Ren._ Of course you would pick Snoke's little brat. You always did have the _strangest_ taste in..." He made a face and gestured vaguely at the air in front of him, seemingly unable to find a suitable term. "You know."

"Sir," Hux pressed, "When will mother be arriving? I would like to get to the point, and apparently it cannot be discussed in her absence."

Brendol raised a brow, smiled to himself, and turned over his shoulder. "Darling, Armitage wants to speak to you."

Hux let out a breath. _Of course_ she had been here the whole time, until Brendol was satisfied with the amount of torment he’d dished out.

Kylo had already bristled at the insults throughout their entire banter, but was quickly distracted when another person walked into the room. Hux's mother. She nodded politely at him before turning to address Hux.

"Hello, Armitage dear. It is so good to see you again." She was not smiling, but there was a warmth behind her eyes as she looked at Hux, which disappeared almost entirely when she turned to look at Brendol.

"Hello, Mother." His voice softened when he spoke to her. "I've missed you." He once again became aware of his hand in Kylo's, and squeezed it. "This is Kylo. My partner. I thought you would enjoy meeting him... This is my mother, Anastasia." He was determined to patch some of this up.

She turned to Kylo and smiled, "How nice to meet you, Lord Ren. I hope you enjoy your stay." Her eyes flicked briefly over to Brendol, gauging his reaction.

Kylo nodded to Anastasia in acknowledgement and leaned in almost imperceptibly towards Hux. "Thank you, ma'am, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Brendol raised a brow, gaze scanning over all three of them, before he blew a bit of smoke and shifted in his seat. "Send your friend away. He's not welcome in this discussion."

"But I thought you called us here to discuss the possibility of an academy--"

_"Armitage."_

Hux paled slightly, mouth feeling a bit dry. "Yes, sir." He glanced apologetically at Kylo. "Just stand outside the door. It's alright."

He nodded, squeezing Hux's hand gently before rising. He could feel eyes on him as he walked away, and when he glanced back, Anastasia was staring at him, almost as if she was sizing him up, assessing his worth. He gave her the slightest nod and left the room, leaning on the wall just outside of the door.

It was quiet for a bit, calm and cautious discussion that couldn't be heard through the wall. But then Hux raised his voice, and things started going downhill. "What?"

Brendol's stern tone bled through-- "Don't act like you haven't always known!"

Kylo strained his ears, trying to hear more of the conversation. He almost went back into the room, but the thought of Brendol's icy stare quickly dissuaded him. He gently brushed the Force against Hux's mind. _Is everything alright?_

Hux did his best to give Kylo a pressing desire for him to stay out of his head right now. He didn't want Kylo to have to witness this. He didn't want his love to have to see this part of his life-- it was dark and black and disgusting, and it ruined everything it touched. Hux regretted bringing him here.

Kylo physically recoiled at Hux's emotional reply-- the underlying emotions that came with it left him reeling.  He gradually tuned back in to the noise in the other room.

Armitage and Brendol continued tearing into each other, and despite how their voices raised, some of it was still drowned out.

"What's _wrong_ with you?"

"Don't question me, boy!"

"It isn't my fault you thought it was a good idea to--"

"Shut up!"

"She was a _whore_ and you decided--"

"You had better find the respect you owe me or--"

_"No!"_

There was a loud slapping sound, followed by the clatter of something hitting the ground. Brendol's voice chased after, hurling abuses and insults, swear words accenting every stab at his son.

Panic rose in Kylo’s throat, and he immediately assumed the worst. He waited, sending out his thoughts to Hux, ready to kick down the door if need be. _Hux, what happened? Are you alright?  I swear if he hurt you--_

_Stay the fuck out of my head._

‘A weak-willed boy, thin as a slip of paper, and just as useless.’ He was physically weak, and Brendol was sure to remind his son of this. He was too soft, too much light in his heart, and of course, Brendol was sure to remind his son of this. He didn't want his son if he was going to continue to be this frail little boy, and Hux scolded himself for ever letting himself believe otherwise.

"...Forgive me, Father."

Hux trembled, letting out a big breath-- his right cheek stung with pain, and further examination of the area revealed a bit of blood dripping from his nose. He was a grown man, he could deal with this, he was strong enough... He tuned out his father's verbal onslaught of abuses and got to his feet, bowing his head submissively. Soon, Brendol was done, red in the face with anger and jaw clenched. "...Thank you, Father."

"Tell your _boyfriend_ he can come in. We're done with our talk." The word snapped over his teeth like cold steel. Armitage nodded, turning away from the door. _...Come in._

 _Come in._ A chill ran down Kylo’s spine at Hux's tone. When he walked in, Hux was standing, his head bowed and blood on his face. Kylo went to stand next to him, giving Brendol a hard stare.

Hux gave Kylo a pathetic look-- it was such a misplaced expression on the general that he hardly looked like himself. "...Excuse us a moment. I need a bit of help cleaning up." He took Kylo’s hand and they slipped away to the bathroom, where Hux immediately started wiping the blood from his nose.

"The so-called academy idea was just a ruse to get me to come here and talk about our family," he murmured, voice uncharacteristically soft. "My mother is..." Hux blinked back tears and curled in on himself, hugging his sides. "...I'm an illegitimate child. My real mother was... she was a kitchen servant."

"...Oh, Hux..." Kylo could feel his heart shattering at Hux's loss of control, at the tears he was holding back, the way he hugged his sides. He wanted nothing more than to wrap him in silk and protect him forever. Rage was beginning to build in his throat, at Brendol, who manipulated his son into coming here just so he could wreck him further. At the galaxy, for daring to give Hux any cause for grief or pain. At himself, for not being able to protect him from this. 

He felt like he was going to cry. He didn't want to. He couldn't. He wouldn't. The last thing Hux needed was for Kylo to break down.

Hux let out a breath. "...I would never come here unless he lied to me. They wanted to tell me in person." He cleaned the last of the blood from his face, at least a little pleased to find that the bleeding had stopped. "...My siblings all look like my mother, but I don't. I always thought it was just genetics being fickle."

The general looked at himself in the mirror, briefly loathing the moment of weakness, but it melted away at the sight of Kylo next to him. Boiling with hate and undeniably beautiful. Hux gave him a look, _Armitage_ gave him a look, and he pressed a kiss to his lover's lips. "...I love you. You know that, right?"

Kylo nodded, leaning into him.  He felt some of the rage dissipate as he met Hux's gaze. "I-I love you too. I love you so much Hux I--" He broke off, burying his face in Hux's shoulder. His next words were soft, barely above a whisper. "...You know I would do anything for you, right? I would tear apart the galaxy, I would destroy everything if you asked."

"Let's do it," Hux murmured, letting himself laugh a bit. "Let's just burn it all down. We don't need _anyone's_ approval. Us, together... We can have the galaxy in our hands." There was a unique sparkle in his eyes when he said that, and he took Kylo's hands in his own, lacing their fingers.

Kylo pulled him closer, grinning. "Yes. Yes. We can do anything we want. No one will be able to stop us." The look in Hux's eyes was amazing, beautiful, almost dangerous and Kylo realized that he would do absolutely anything to keep it there. He kissed him gently, and when he pulled away to speak, Kylo's voice was barely above a whisper. "We will bring the galaxy to its _knees."_

Hux gazed into Kylo's eyes, absolutely captivated by them. "I've always dreamt of being emperor. When I'm there, I want you to be with me. Right at my side."

Kylo couldn't stop smiling, he was giddy with the knowledge that Hux wanted him to be there as he conquered the galaxy. The universe had shrunk down to just the two of them, just for a moment. He couldn't remember being happier. "I wouldn't want anything else."

Hux was enthralled in the moment, but slowly, his enthusiasm faded out as reality began to set back in, and his mind started drifting back to the discomfort that waited for them on the other side of the door. Back to his father's sneering and threatening to marry him off, making him feel like he was a poor son...

He thought on it for a long moment. Arranged marriage was a frightening idea. Hux's expression changed to something between realization and another unidentifiable emotion.

He couldn't be married off to some noble girl if he was _already married._

The idea settled on his shoulders, and he sat up a little straighter, squeezing Kylo's hands.

"...Let's stay together, then." He studied his love's expression, waiting for some kind of change. "We could get _married,_ Kylo."

Kylo’s breath hitched, his eyes widened-- "...Really? You would marry me?" He had never dared to even dream of marriage, not when he was with the Jedi, and Snoke... Snoke. What would his Master say? Would he approve? He quickly pushed that thought away. It didn't matter. If Hux wanted to marry him, then nothing, not even Snoke, could stop them.

"I would marry you a thousand times. We don't need anyone's approval, I'm in love with you and you're in love with me." Hux took Kylo's face in his hands, and gently kissed him. "It would be a privilege to spend the rest of my life with you, Kylo, if you would have me."

He leaned into the kiss, his hands settling on Hux's shoulders. "I love you Hux, I would gladly spend eternity with you.  Nothing could make me happier." He couldn't seem to stop smiling, even with Hux's father potentially waiting right outside, he couldn't bring himself to care about anything other than this moment.

Armitage smiled, something between delighted and devilish. “Let’s give them hell.”


End file.
